Disney chief Bob Iger has confirmed that the third film in the stand-alone “anthology” of Star Wars – the series that begins in December 2016 with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – will be released in 2020.

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference yesterday (Sep 21), Iger confirmed that he has already hired a writer for the as-yet-untitled film – a project that appears to be in its infancy.

Iger also admitted that he does not expect Rogue One to do anywhere near as well as The Force Awakens at the worldwide box office (The Force Awakens is, after all, the highest-grossing film ever in the US), though he did say “interest [in the film] is high. We love what we’ve seen [because] it doesn’t fit neatly into the Skywalker saga.”

Episodes eight and nine of the main series are due for release in 2017 and 2019 respectively, and Iger recently revealed that he’s met with Luscasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and started “talking about what we’re going to do in 2021 and beyond”.

Iger also said a similar meeting with Marvel Entertainment, which Disney purchased three years ago, had taken place, where “we too are beginning to talk about what do we do in the next decade”.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen and Mads Mikkelsen, tells the story of a group of rebel fighters on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.

The film is the first in a series of on-screen adventures exploring stories outside the core Star Wars saga.

It is set before the first part of the original series, Episode IV: A New Hope.

Several teaser trailers for the upcoming movie have been released – and you can watch the latest of these right here.

The trailer offers a glimpse into the making of the eagerly-awaited movie, with shots of stormtroopers, explosions and battle scenes.